Personal Training in QLD

Personal Training in New Zealand

An open Letter to Yourself*

Tuesday, 5 April 2016, By Curtis Riley

An open letter to yourself

When the average 30-50 year old like yourself decides that it's
time to get in shape, the first thing you think of is every reason
why you can't do it. Excuses like "How can I stick to a diet when
I'm such a social person? Am I supposed to just never go out
drinking or never have dinner with my friends again?" or "I just
hate exercise, I'm too unfit to do it."

These excuses are your minds tricks, trying to give you some
comfort that's only short term which is only hindering your chances
at having long term success. Some people will never make any
progress because they've never even considered making a change,
they just brush it off with an excuse. If you're reading this then
it's clear that you have the desire to progress and change your
head space so you can transform yourself. With that in mind, the
next time you make any excuses like these you need to tell
yourself.

Excuse #1: How can I stick to a diet when I'm
such a social person? Am I supposed to just never go out drinking
or never have dinner with my friends again?

It's simple. There are plenty of healthy people, who go out for
drinks or dinner with their friends, so why can't you be one of
them? No one is telling you the only way to be healthy is to be a
fitness hermit crab but you. Just like no one is telling you the
only way to be healthy is to never drink alcohol again or that you
can never eat at a restaurant again, it's unrealistic to think
that, and it only gives you another excuse to be complacent.

Excuse #2: I just hate exercise; I'm too unfit
to do it

There are ways to make exercise enjoyable, and it doesn't all
need to be done out of your comfort zone. No one ever really says
"I really want to bring myself to the verge of vomiting with some
sled sprints." But that doesn't mean that you should give up on the
idea of becoming a fitter you. No one said it was easy, but it's
absolutely doable if you clear the excuses from your mind and get
honest with yourself. Draw your focus to progression, not
perfection.

Excuse #3: I really don't have the energy to
exercise

That's exactly why you should do it. There are a number of
reasons why you're not feeling your best; most likely it's that
you're not eating the right foods at the right time or that your
nutritional habits need to be improved. Also the fact you're not
exercising means that you're missing out on the natural increase in
energy we get from exercising.

Aim to make improvements in these areas and reap the benefits,
it just takes you making a start. It all comes down to your
readiness to change and whether you chose to live above or below
the red line. We use the red line to indicate whether you are
someone who takes ownership, accountability and responsibility for
their own actions, if that sounds like you then you're playing
above the line. Or you're the type of person who blames others,
makes excuses and is in denial, this is the person who plays below
the line. So the next time you catch yourself playing below the
line, stop and turn it to positive action. We don't notice the
impact that consistently practicing good habits has on our lives,
good luck.